


Grace Reflects in His Eyes

by LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Castiel is trying his best, Dad!Dean, Dad!Sam, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Jack and his three dads, The Empty, can i use that as a tag lol, canon-typical lack of communication
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys/pseuds/LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys
Summary: Jack is the only one who knows about Cas' deal with the Empty. Cas is keeping his distance from the bunker to avoid being taken, but his absence is making Jack miserable. Sam and Dean do their best to help Jack through his anxiety when Cas is away.
Relationships: Castiel & Jack Kline, Jack Kline & Dean Winchester, Jack Kline & Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Grace Reflects in His Eyes

Jack was pacing in the hallways again. The constant steady movement seemed to settle the turmoil in his stomach slightly. He stepped as softly as he could, especially as he walked past Sam’s and Dean’s rooms. He didn’t want to wake them.

Cas’ words from before he left the bunker a couple of days ago were ringing through Jack’s head – they had been on almost constant repeat since the day the angel had left.

_ “I can’t be here too much, Jack. It’s not safe for me. Not yet.” _

Jack’s throat hurt with the emotion he was trying to hold back. Cas had left because of his deal with the Empty, frightened that being around Sam, Dean, and Jack would distract him. He couldn’t give the Empty any chance to take him – he needed to be on his guard at all times. 

He had only made that awful deal to save Jack and now he was so often gone. Cas had never told Sam and Dean about the deal. Keeping it a secret from them was becoming more and more difficult for Jack. Whenever Cas was away, Jack spent nearly every second wondering if he had been taken by the Empty. There would be no way to know. Any time that Cas left could be the last time that Jack ever saw him.

Jack knew Cas was looking for a solution to his deal. Any way to make it safe for him to stay at the bunker with all of them. But he had yet to find anything and Jack had barely slept at all the last couple of nights. His stomach hurt so badly every time he thought about Cas, wondering desperately if he was safe. But Jack couldn’t seem to think of anything else.

Jack continued pacing, clutching his arms tightly around his middle. He started when Dean’s bedroom door opened suddenly next to him. 

Dean was standing in his doorway in his pajamas, hair unevenly spiked, eyes squinted. He blinked slowly at Jack. “What are you doing?” he asked. His voice was still rough from sleep but his tone was not unkind.

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Jack said. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Dean looked Jack up and down in silence. “You okay?” he finally asked.

Jack nodded. But as he was struck with the terrible idea of Dean going back to bed and leaving him alone with his thoughts, he quickly added, “My stomach hurts.”

Dean frowned. “Do you think you’re gonna puke?”

Jack shook his head. “It just hurts.”

“Okay,” Dean said. He stepped out of his bedroom and put a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s see if I can get you something.”

Dean led Jack to the kitchen and had him sit at the table as he started opening the cupboards. “I know Sammy keeps some sort of fancy peppermint tea or something up here that’s supposed to be good for you. Ah, here.”

Dean continued bustling around the kitchen. Jack watched him closely, focusing on the movements of Dean’s freckled hands as he filled a mug with water from the sink and stuck it in the microwave, then took the steaming mug out and dunked a tea bag in it. The soft sounds of Dean moving around were soothing Jack. He was already starting to feel sleepy. Just having Dean there - knowing that he wouldn’t leave until he was content that Jack was alright - was calming Jack’s nerves more than any tea possibly could.

Dean set the tea in front of Jack and then sat across from him. “Drink up, kid.”

Jack held the mug carefully, blowing on the tea before taking a sip. The liquid warmed him and genuinely seemed to make his stomach feel better as he drank it.

“So is there somethin’ on your mind?” Dean asked when Jack’s mug was nearly empty. “Anything bothering you?”

Jack wanted to tell Dean everything so badly, but he had made a promise to Cas. So he went with only telling most of the truth. “I miss Cas. I don’t like not knowing where he is.”

Dean seemed surprised by that response. “Is that what kept you up?”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Sometimes I just worry.”

"Well, Cas has been like this since we've known him," Dean replied, a note of bitterness in his voice. "Sometimes he just disappears. We get an explanation maybe half the time. Other times, he's just gone." Dean stared at his hands for awhile before taking a deep breath. He looked up at Jack as if he had just remembered the boy was there.

"Anyway," Dean continued, clearing his throat, "he's always fine. And he always shows up again. Eventually." He offered Jack a half-hearted smile.

Jack nodded. He appreciated Dean’s attempt at comfort but there was no way for Dean to understand why Cas’ absence was making Jack so miserable. Dean didn’t truly understand the danger.

“You feelin’ any better?” Dean asked, gesturing toward Jack’s empty mug.

“Yeah,” Jack replied. And he was feeling better, he was warm down to his toes and his eyelids were heavy. He yawned.

“Let’s go back to bed then.” Dean stood and moved Jack’s mug to the counter. He put a solid hand on Jack’s back to lead him back down the hallway after he stood from the table.

When they reached Jack’s doorway, Dean looked down at him. “You know you can always wake up me or Sam if you can’t sleep, right?”

Jack blinked in response. He was feeling very, very tired suddenly. He leaned heavily against Dean, pressing his head into Dean’s arm, not even bothering to lift his arms to give Dean a proper hug. Dean chuckled. “Alright, dead weight. Go to sleep.”

As Jack headed into his room and sluggishly tucked himself into bed, he heard Sam’s bedroom door open and Sam’s soft voice, “Dean? What’s going on?”

After that, Dean’s response and the following hushed conversation became muddled noises to Jack as he finally fell asleep. For a moment, he almost woke up again fully as a hand pressed gently against his forehead. It felt a little like a dream but Jack knew the touch was real when he heard Sam say, “It’s okay. Get some sleep, buddy.” Soothed, Jack let himself return to his peaceful sleep.


End file.
